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It was the fifth anniversary yesterday of the arrest of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose supposed crime was to argue for secularism, democracy and human rights.

The Badawi case is illuminating about the nature of the Saudi regime and the ideas that it understands as an existential threat.

And perhaps they are so strange to the Saudi authorities that they can’t be taken seriously – after all, those convicted of “sorcery” in the kingdom are beheaded, whereas Badawi may survive his sentence, given enough attention and support from the outside world.

It is, of course, the Saudi regime that is chiefly responsible for his suffering, and that has the power to release him, but the case also suggests how hollow are western commitments to so-called western values.

But in all those cases, and especially in Yemen, the repressive Saudi state has itself been a destabilising factor for its neighbours.

George Gilder, Legendary Economist and Tech Visionary, Joins Snip AdvisoryÂ BoardToday weâre honored to announce that George Franklin Gilder is joining the Snip advisory board.Credit: GageÂ SkidmoreGeorge is the author of 15 books and is considered one of the most influential economists of the past decades, with his book Wealth and Poverty…

In 1986, President Raegan awarded him the White House Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.In the 1980s, George was one of the first visionaries to recognize the potential of the Internet, at a time when many didnât yet understand the technology and its implications.

Today, these technologies are critical to the operation of the Internet.Watch George Gilder âLife After Googleâ at Blockstack Summit 2017George is currently advocating blockchain technology, labeling it âthe 8th layer of the Internetâ, in reference to the 7 layers of the classic Internet OSI model.

He recently gave a keynote speech at the Blockstack Summit, lauding the potential of blockchain to disrupt Internet centralization and censorship.George is providing Snip with great advice and weâre very excited to have him with us on this journey.

Designed to capitalize on what the pair describe as the coming decentralization of capital markets, the Global Public Offering Fund plans to use an initial coin offering (ICO) to raise capital to “Long term, ICOs are the future of the capital markets,” he told CNBC, pointing to that increasingly popular…

It’s going to provide new levels of liquidity and new levels of transparency.

You already have most of the major exchanges with major blockchain initiatives,” said In fact, he said, blockchain-based tech will “evolve the global capital markets and create new paths for capital raising, liquidity and ICOs are essentially a form of crowdfunding, allowing a larger and wider pool of investors to…

There is still a lack of consistency in the methodology of pricing a token, and the limited due diligence required to initiate a sale presents both risk for “Conducting our own ICO will provide valuable learnings and allow our portfolio companies to have a front row seat in defining what…

Our hope is to advance the current state of the art and utilize the GPO Fund to make long-term and constructive contributions to the global capital markets.”

European Central Bank (ECB) Vice President Vitor Constancio is seen at a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany July 20, 2017.

REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski – – FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Bitcoin is not a currency but a mere instrument of speculation, the vice president of the European Central Bank said on Friday, comparing the digital currency to tulip bulbs during the 17th century trading bubble in the Netherlands.

But ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio denied it posed a threat to monetary policy and compared its rise to the ‘Tulip mania’ seen three-hundred years ago.

“It’s an instrument of speculation … but certainly not a currency and we don’t see it as a threat to central bank policy.”

The ECB said year last year digital currencies, which are generally issued by private companies and only exist in electronic form, could in principle erode its power over the supply of money, inviting European Union lawmakers to tighten proposed rules on the matter.

Bitcoin is not a currency but a mere instrument of speculation, the vice president of the European Central Bank said on Friday, comparing the digital currency to tulip bulbs during the 17th century trading bubble in the Netherlands. The dollar value of the Bitcoin has nearly trebled this year and, while Continue reading “ECB’s Constancio compares Bitcoin to Dutch tulip mania”

Stocks are slipping a bit here as geopolitical tensions rise and the GOP health reform bill may be on life support.

is the latest senator to say he’ll vote no Graham-Cassidy—and health care stocks are ripping higher.

Plus, Apple shares are down again as the iPhone 8 and new Apple Watch hit the stores.

Stocks in the red today include Intercept Pharmaceuticals following downgrades in the wake of an FDA warning for its liver disease drug; Carvana, as the auto retailer was initiated with a sell at B. Riley with a $12 price target; and US Steel, with slipping as Cowen downgraded shares to…

Stocks in the green today include Texas Instruments as the company hiked its dividend and boosted its buyback plan; First Solar hitting a 52-week high after the US international trade commission said imported solar panels hurt US manufacturers; and Sprint, with shares jumping here on reports T-Mobile and Sprint are…